Two Gents' Worth
April 25, 2025
On the Saturday night before Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, we had to say good-bye to a beloved family friend. And we cried. Her name was Rocky. She was 17. She had started her life by being pulled out of a trash bin by some kindly people who discovered her when she was only a…
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On the week before Christmas more than a half-century ago, I received the greatest gift anyone had ever given me. And it changed my life. Let me tell you a story. I grew up in Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley of California. We did not have a lot of money. But Mom did have…
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Yes, it’s nearly back. Thanksgiving Day. That day of turkey and Macy’s parade and NFL football. I’ve experienced nearly three-quarters of a century’s worth of Thanksgivings (not quite — I’m not that old — not yet, at least). So I have a ton of memories of that day, as you undoubtedly do. Growing up in…
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They held a Chili Cook-Off in Bandit Town near North Fork in the Sierra this past Saturday, and there were several reasons why I had to head up there. For one thing, I like chili — a lot. And I knew it was going to be a gorgeous autumn day at the 3,000 foot level. …
Read More about Bandit Town’s Hot ChiliThey put on another Old Timers Day Parade in Madera this past Saturday. In a related story, I dressed up as a Victorian dandy. Now that I have your attention, I hope, let’s move on. First — the parade. They’ve been having one in honor of Old Timers for more than 90 years in Madera,…
Read More about A Dandy in MaderaThe calendar tells us — and our temperatures confirm — that autumn has arrived here in the Valley. Of all our seasons — autumn is our Emma Peel. The most beautiful. If you’re not familiar with Emma — I invite you to Google “The Avengers” TV show from the 1960’s. The lovely Emma — played…
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I took a hike in the Sierra the other day — a trek that propelled me back into my parents’ past. My guides were Connie Popelish and Michael Olwyler — who likely know more about the history and topography of that part of the Sierra surrounding North Fork in Madera County than anyone else alive. …
Read More about My Hike in the SierraMy brother Ken passed away a few days ago. He was 83. Over the past 10 years, he had suffered from several serious, but manageable, diseases. But his last few weeks saw him battling horrible and impossible-to-overcome ailments, and it became clear that his time had come. And it did. Ken and I were never…
Read More about Memories of My BrotherThe other day, I saw a couple of videos that someone had just put on the Channel 30 alumni website in Fresno — and they sent me onto a trip down Memory Lane. Channel 30 Action News was where I got my first TV news job. I was 23 years old — barely, if at…
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It was on the 10th day of our most recent vacation — last Tuesday afternoon, to be precise — when I made the type of mistake that you remember all your life. So naturally, I feel compelled to tell you about it. I was inside the women’s restroom at the Shell gas station in Hood…
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